Dear Mr. Bauer,
We are the Slow Food Movement here to try to present our menu for an upgraded lunch menu. Our team consists of John Stalker, Vicky Davidson, Nate Quarles, and Inshirah Mohammad. Obesity, without a doubt is rising, and it is not a matter that we should just be concerned about for 5 minutes and then totally forget about it. That’s why we’re here; so that we can be one of those few who actually are trying to bring change. Instead of being all about just talk, we actually created up a menu to show how serious we are about this project.
Our lunch menu for a month is attached along with this letter. The reason we are trying to convince you to change your menu is because not only is our menu fun and variant, but also nutritious. Upper Merion lunches are absolutely unhealthy, with its cheese sticks, buttered rotini, etc. Yes, they sound delicious, but kids our age should not be surrounded by this type of food unless it’s on special occasions, because those eating habits will carry on through to their adulthood. We have foods such as water ices, salads, and bagels, that are fun yet served in healthy sizes and servings. These foods don’t have a lot of calories, and along with the water, juices, etc. served with them, and the sides such as cereal and watermelon, the kids will get filled up with different types of foods.
For our lunch program, the cost for a month will be between 400-500 dollars. This seems like a lot but isn’t, because taxes help out and also, fundraisers can also be held, and not just for money, but for food items, because people in our country waste a lot of good, healthy things that may be laying in their pantry.
I hope that you consider our lunch menu. Even if in the beginning they don’t like it, slowly the mind and body will work together and make the students in Upper Merion better ones. Their grades will go up and hopefully, slowly the waistlines will decrease or stay constant, but not rise. We may just be one school amongst the many in this nation, but we should try to be one of the ones that change for the better.
Sincerely, John, Vicky, Nate, and Inshirah :)
Week 1 Nutrition Information:-Inshirah Monday:
French Meadow Bakery Whole grain bread with lean chicken meat 2/3 cup Bird’s Eye Baby Sweet Peas 1 cup V8 Fusion-Pomegranate/Blueberry
Why Week #1? The changes made to my week menu are pretty healthy. For each day, the calories are less than 500, which is pretty good, given that kids tend to each a lot for lunch and the calories pretty easily exceed a healthy range. Also, I tried to find foods with lower sugar levels, because there is no need for extra sugar, when most likely a child when he/she comes home, will end up eating a lot of sugar and then crash. The choices are also things that student might enjoy trying and fun. Overall, my menu shows a good balance among the food groups, and will hopefully show kids that they should slowly start to reduce the amount they eat for lunch.
Week 2 Nutrition Information:-Vicki
Monday: Tuna salad served with dressing One orange One Fiber One Granola Bar water
Thursday: One turkey sandwich (two slices wheat bread with three slices roasted turkey breast slice Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mustard) Baked tortilla chips Apple Water
Why Week #2? My menu is the best because I asked people what they wanted for lunch. There are fun items included, and though most of this food is not good, people desire it, so it will help with not boring out the students.
Week #1: Monday
Turkey Mashed potatoes Carrots Apple Skim Milk Sugar cookie
470 Calories
9.9 g fat
19.5 protein
655 sodium
302 % vitamin A
23% vitamin C
5.2 g fiber
34% calcium
Tuesday Whole Grain Spaghetti & meatballs Salad Orange Grape Juice Pudding 530 Calories 4.5 g fat 12.6 protein 575 sodium 326 % vitamin A 19% vitamin C 6.3 g fiber 21% calcium
Wednesday Chicken Ceasar Salad Grapes Water Cookie
634 Calories
8.7 g fat
13.8 protein
487 sodium
326 % vitamin A
16% vitamin C
7.4 g fiber
20% calcium
Thursday Hotdog Corn on the cob Watermelon Kool Aid Water Ice
743 Calories
6.2 g fat
17.4 protein
734 sodium
342 % vitamin A
7% vitamin C
10.3 g fiber
14% calcium
Friday Tacos Salad Peas Milk Cake
672 Calories
6.6 g fat
17.3 protein
575 sodium
363 % vitamin A
18% vitamin C
9.3 g fiber
25% calcium
Why Week #3? This menu should be used because it has a variety of healthy foods that the students will enjoy. All of the food items are complex carbohydrates except for the beverage water. This menu provides healthier meals with all of the nutrients students need to be healthy. I'm sure that all of the students who buy their lunch will love this menu.
MONDAY
Healthy Hamburger
A Salad with choice of dressing
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-400
Total Fat-20g
Protein-26g
Sodium-164mg
Vitamin A-
Vitamin C-
Dietary Fiber-
Calcium-15%
Iron-15%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 2g
TUESDAY
Spaghetti with chopped tomatoes and meatballs
Italian Bread
A Fruit Salad
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-400
Total Fat-2g
Protein-6g
Sodium-335mg
Vitamin A-7%
Vitamin C-75%
Dietary Fiber-4.5g
Calcium-77%
Iron-18%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 97g
WEDNESDAY
Chicken soup with crackers
Choice of whole fruit
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-375
Total Fat-8g
Protein-15g
Sodium-2900mg
Vitamin A-2%
Vitamin C-1%
Dietary Fiber-5g
Calcium-15%
Iron-15%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 60g
THURSDAY
Hoagie Choice
Choice of a sliced fruit
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-500g
Total Fat-45g
Protein-35g
Sodium-2500mg
Vitamin A-1%
Vitamin C-1%
Dietary Fiber-4g
Calcium-10%
Iron-5%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex-50g
FRIDAY
Choice of Steak or Ribs
Potatoes and/or Corn
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-225
Total Fat-12g
Protein-25g
Sodium-100mg
Vitamin A-1%
Vitamin C-1%
Dietary Fiber-5g
Calcium-10%
Iron-17%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 50g
This menu will benefit the students because they will have a healthier lunch. A healthier lunch menu with foods they will like means that they will not only enjoy the lunch but also become healthier. A student that has had a good lunch is likeir to pay attention and stay energized for the remainder of the school day. This will result in them having a greater intake of the information to score higher on their tests. This will also show up good for the school for parents will feel good that their school provides excellent lunch and education.
Dear Mr. Bauer,
We are the Slow Food Movement here to try to present our menu for an upgraded lunch menu. Our team consists of John Stalker, Vicky Davidson, Nate Quarles, and Inshirah Mohammad. Obesity, without a doubt is rising, and it is not a matter that we should just be concerned about for 5 minutes and then totally forget about it. That’s why we’re here; so that we can be one of those few who actually are trying to bring change. Instead of being all about just talk, we actually created up a menu to show how serious we are about this project.
Our lunch menu for a month is attached along with this letter. The reason we are trying to convince you to change your menu is because not only is our menu fun and variant, but also nutritious. Upper Merion lunches are absolutely unhealthy, with its cheese sticks, buttered rotini, etc. Yes, they sound delicious, but kids our age should not be surrounded by this type of food unless it’s on special occasions, because those eating habits will carry on through to their adulthood. We have foods such as water ices, salads, and bagels, that are fun yet served in healthy sizes and servings. These foods don’t have a lot of calories, and along with the water, juices, etc. served with them, and the sides such as cereal and watermelon, the kids will get filled up with different types of foods.
For our lunch program, the cost for a month will be between 400-500 dollars. This seems like a lot but isn’t, because taxes help out and also, fundraisers can also be held, and not just for money, but for food items, because people in our country waste a lot of good, healthy things that may be laying in their pantry.
I hope that you consider our lunch menu. Even if in the beginning they don’t like it, slowly the mind and body will work together and make the students in Upper Merion better ones. Their grades will go up and hopefully, slowly the waistlines will decrease or stay constant, but not rise. We may just be one school amongst the many in this nation, but we should try to be one of the ones that change for the better.
Sincerely,
John, Vicky, Nate, and Inshirah :)
Week 1 Nutrition Information:-Inshirah
Monday:
French Meadow Bakery Whole grain bread with lean chicken meat
2/3 cup Bird’s Eye Baby Sweet Peas
1 cup V8 Fusion-Pomegranate/Blueberry
Calories- 395; Total fat-Total- 3.5 g; Protein- 29g; Sodium- 760 mg; Vitamin A- 13%; Vitamin C- 92%; Dietary Fiber- 8g; Calcium- 6%; Iron-18%;Carbs-Total-38g:: Sugars-5g::Fiber- 4g
Tuesday:
2 Whole wheat pancakes with fruits on top
5 saltine crackers
Water
Total fat-Total-4.5 g::Saturated-.5 g::Polyunsaturated Fat-1g; Protein-5g;Sodium-521 mg; Vitamin A-20%; Vitamin C-2%; Dietary Fiber-3g;Calcium-10%; Iron-20%; Carbs-Total-35g::Sugars-3g::Other carbs-21g
Wednesday:
Tuna sandwich
.125 cup of Planters heart healthy mix
1 cup Florida’s Natural-Orange Juice
Calories- 470; Total fat-Total20g::Sat. Fat-1.5g::Monounsaturated Fat-8g;Protein-13g; Sodium-55mg; Vitamin A-0%; Vitamin C-120%; Dietary Fiber-4g; Calcium-5%; Iron-9%; Carbs-Total-26g::Sugars-23g
Thursday:
Half bagel with lowfat cream cheese, smoked salmon
Two Cups of Sliced Watermelon
Water
Calories-343;Total fat-Total-3g;Protein-7g;Sodium-15mg;Vitamin A-34%; Vitamin C-42%;Dietary Fiber-2g;Calcium-4%;Iron-9%;Carbs-Total-28g::Sugars-18g
Friday:
1 ½ cups Salad-Fresh Express-American
3/4 cup of dry cereal-Special K-Chocolatey Delight
Motts-Apple Juice
Calories-255; Total fat-Saturated-2g; Protein-3g; Sodium-984mg; Vitamin A-8%; Vitamin C-160%; Dietary Fiber-4g; Calcium-4%; Iron-55%-Carbs-Total-57g:: Sugars-11g::Other carbs-13g
Why Week #1?
The changes made to my week menu are pretty healthy. For each day, the calories are less than 500, which is pretty good, given that kids tend to each a lot for lunch and the calories pretty easily exceed a healthy range. Also, I tried to find foods with lower sugar levels, because there is no need for extra sugar, when most likely a child when he/she comes home, will end up eating a lot of sugar and then crash. The choices are also things that student might enjoy trying and fun. Overall, my menu shows a good balance among the food groups, and will hopefully show kids that they should slowly start to reduce the amount they eat for lunch.
Week 2 Nutrition Information:-Vicki
Monday:
Tuna salad served with dressing
One orange
One Fiber One Granola Bar water
Calories-648; Total fat-12.2:: Saturated-8.5g; Protein-38.6g; Sodium-200mg; Vitamin A-75%; Vitamin C-75%; Dietary Fiber-6.3g; Calcium-7%; Iron-7%-Carbs-Total-69.4g:: Sugars-16.8g
Tuesday:
Macaroni and cheese
One Oreo cookie
Water
Calories-463; Total fat-12.2:: Saturated-8.5g; Protein-16.1g; Sodium-1930mg; Vitamin A-5%; Vitamin C-0%; Dietary Fiber-3g; Calcium-15%; Iron-4%-Carbs-Total-65.2g:: Sugars-3.1g
Wednesday:
Minestrone soup
Five whole-wheat crackers
Water
Calories-262; Total fat-7.g:: Saturated-3.1g::Polyunsaturated-1.1g; Protein-10.3g; Sodium-1341mg; Vitamin A-51%%; Vitamin C-0%; Dietary Fiber-4g; Calcium-23%; Iron-13%-Carbs-Total-31.2g:: Sugars-3g
Thursday:
One turkey sandwich (two slices wheat bread with three slices roasted turkey breast slice Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mustard)
Baked tortilla chips
Apple
Water
Calories-413; Total fat-3.3g:: Saturated-.8g::Polyunsaturated-.1g; Protein-15.5g; Sodium-850mg; Vitamin A-5%; Vitamin C-16%; Dietary Fiber-7.5g; Calcium-12%; Iron-30%-Carbs-Total-71.9g:: Sugars-17.3g
Friday:
One peanut butter and jelly sandwich (wheat bread with natural, chunky peanut butter)
Pretzels
Water
Calories-453; Total fat-14.6g; Protein-11.8g; Sodium-923mg; Vitamin A-0%; Vitamin C-0%; Dietary Fiber-1g; Calcium-0%; Iron-10%-Carbs-Total-69.6g:: Sugars-10g
Why Week #2?
My menu is the best because I asked people what they wanted for lunch. There are fun items included, and though most of this food is not good, people desire it, so it will help with not boring out the students.
Week #1:
Monday
Turkey
Mashed potatoes
Carrots
Apple
Skim Milk
Sugar cookie
470 Calories
9.9 g fat
19.5 protein
655 sodium
302 % vitamin A
23% vitamin C
5.2 g fiber
34% calcium
Tuesday
Whole Grain Spaghetti & meatballs
Salad
Orange
Grape Juice
Pudding
530 Calories
4.5 g fat
12.6 protein
575 sodium
326 % vitamin A
19% vitamin C
6.3 g fiber
21% calcium
Wednesday
Chicken Ceasar Salad
Grapes
Water
Cookie
634 Calories
8.7 g fat
13.8 protein
487 sodium
326 % vitamin A
16% vitamin C
7.4 g fiber
20% calcium
Thursday
Hotdog
Corn on the cob
Watermelon
Kool Aid
Water Ice
743 Calories
6.2 g fat
17.4 protein
734 sodium
342 % vitamin A
7% vitamin C
10.3 g fiber
14% calcium
Friday
Tacos
Salad
Peas
Milk
Cake
672 Calories
6.6 g fat
17.3 protein
575 sodium
363 % vitamin A
18% vitamin C
9.3 g fiber
25% calcium
Why Week #3?
This menu should be used because it has a variety of healthy foods that the students will enjoy. All of the food items are complex carbohydrates except for the beverage water. This menu provides healthier meals with all of the nutrients students need to be healthy.
I'm sure that all of the students who buy their lunch will love this menu.
MONDAY
Healthy Hamburger
A Salad with choice of dressing
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-400
Total Fat-20g
Protein-26g
Sodium-164mg
Vitamin A-
Vitamin C-
Dietary Fiber-
Calcium-15%
Iron-15%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 2g
TUESDAY
Spaghetti with chopped tomatoes and meatballs
Italian Bread
A Fruit Salad
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-400
Total Fat-2g
Protein-6g
Sodium-335mg
Vitamin A-7%
Vitamin C-75%
Dietary Fiber-4.5g
Calcium-77%
Iron-18%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 97g
WEDNESDAY
Chicken soup with crackers
Choice of whole fruit
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-375
Total Fat-8g
Protein-15g
Sodium-2900mg
Vitamin A-2%
Vitamin C-1%
Dietary Fiber-5g
Calcium-15%
Iron-15%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 60g
THURSDAY
Hoagie Choice
Choice of a sliced fruit
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-500g
Total Fat-45g
Protein-35g
Sodium-2500mg
Vitamin A-1%
Vitamin C-1%
Dietary Fiber-4g
Calcium-10%
Iron-5%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex-50g
FRIDAY
Choice of Steak or Ribs
Potatoes and/or Corn
Choice of juice or milk
Calories-225
Total Fat-12g
Protein-25g
Sodium-100mg
Vitamin A-1%
Vitamin C-1%
Dietary Fiber-5g
Calcium-10%
Iron-17%
Carbohydrates-Simple and Complex- 50g
This menu will benefit the students because they will have a healthier lunch. A healthier lunch menu with foods they will like means that they will not only enjoy the lunch but also become healthier. A student that has had a good lunch is likeir to pay attention and stay energized for the remainder of the school day. This will result in them having a greater intake of the information to score higher on their tests. This will also show up good for the school for parents will feel good that their school provides excellent lunch and education.